Systems and methods for enhancing cognition

ABSTRACT

The disclosure is directed to cognitive training exercise adapted to train working memory systems in mammals in an intuitive, engaging, and adaptively challenging way to enhance cognition. Exercises engage users in the task of first seeing a grid with angled “bumpers” placed in various places throughout the grid. After a short initial presentation, the bumpers disappear, and the user must remember the location and orientation of the bumpers and calculate a route that a “pinball” will travel after being released from a designated starting position. In this way, the user is manipulating the remembered grid layout in working memory to solve a physically realistic task.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/780,882 filed Feb. 28, 2013, which claims thebenefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/675,725, titled“Systems and Methods for Enhancing Cognition” filed on Jul. 25, 2012,the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cognition is a group of mental processes that includes attention,memory, producing and understanding language, problem solving, anddecision making. Memory is the process by which information is encoded,stored and retrieved. Working memory is the ability to mentally operateon immediately available information while persisting this informationfor later potential encoding into long term memory. A considerable bodyof neuroscience research relates working memory capacity to othercognitive abilities such as fluid intelligence. Individuals with strongworking memory capacities are more likely to succeed in education andprofessional environments. Enhancing this capacity is highly desirable.

There have been a number of attempts to develop programs to enhanceworking memory capacity. For example, Cogmed Inc. has developed severalvariants of working memory training aimed at enhancing cognition inchildren with a particular focus on reducing the burden of attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Jaeggi and colleagues have shownthat training on a challenging working memory task—called the dualn-back—improves users' performance on measures of fluid intelligence.See, Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W. J. (2008).Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States ofAmerica, 105(19), 6829-6833. doi:10.1073/pnas.0801268105. Thesepromising approaches demonstrate the appeal of working memory training;however, these approaches have limitations. In particular, most of thesetasks do not require substantial mental manipulation of theto-be-remembered items. This can lead to reliance on domain-specificshort term working memory systems, as opposed to the domain-generalexecutive working memory systems. The operations of domain-generalmemory systems are associated with transfer of training to fluidintelligence and broadly to other kinds of tasks that require workingmemory and control of attention. See, Kane, M., & Engle, R. (2002). Therole of prefrontal cortex in working-memory capacity, executiveattention, and general fluid intelligence: An individual-differencesperspective. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9(4), 637-671.doi:10.3758/BF03196323. Exercising these systems in a targeted fashionrequires mental manipulation of the items in memory, not justmaintenance.

Researchers have used complex working memory tasks to measure and trainthe domain-general memory capacity. See, Daneman, M., & Carpenter, P. A.(1980). Individual differences in working memory and reading. Journal ofVerbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 19(4), 450-466.doi:10.1016/S0022-5371(80)90312-6; and Turner, M. L., & Engle, R. W.(1989). Is working memory capacity task dependent? Journal of Memory andLanguage, 28(2), 127-154. doi:10.1016/0749-596X(89)90040-5. However,these tasks typically involve separate items for retrieval andprocessing (e.g., solve a math problem while remembering an unrelatednumber or remembering the locations of objects in the order of thenumbers printed on them). These designs lack ecological validity, inthat most real world tasks involving memory and control of attentioninvolve operating on the same items that are to be remembered. Forexample, when an individual is making a decision about the best way totravel from point A to point B, they must pull information into workingmemory such as the various possible routes, the impact of traffic,public transit delays, and if the routes are walkable and operate onthose representations to decide on the optimal approach. Organic uses ofcomplex working memory like this activate prefrontal cortex in a robustand ecologically relevant manner. These uses also have the advantage ofbeing relatively easy tasks to understand, unlike the unnaturaloperations in most complex working memory tasks.

What is needed are cognitive training exercises that train workingmemory systems in an intuitive, engaging, and adaptively challenging wayto enhance cognition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed are cognitive training exercises that are adapted to trainworking memory systems in humans in an intuitive, engaging, andadaptively challenging way to enhance cognition. Exercises engage usersin the task of first seeing a grid with angled “bumpers” placed invarious places throughout the grid. After a short initial presentation,the bumpers disappear, and the user must remember the location andorientation of the bumpers and calculate a route that a “pinball” willtravel after being released from a designated starting position. In thisway, the user is manipulating the remembered grid layout in workingmemory to solve a physically realistic task.

In one aspect of the disclosure, methods for enhancing cognition of aparticipant are disclosed. A method for enhancing cognition in aparticipant, utilizing a computing device to present visual stimuli fortraining, and to record responses from the participant, the methodcomprising: providing multiple graphical elements in a boardconfiguration, wherein the multiple graphical elements are available forvisual presentation to the participant; visually presenting a temporalsequence of a plurality of the graphical elements, including displayingeach graphical element at a respective location in a visual field,wherein the plurality of graphical elements includes two or more of eachof one or more circular elements (e.g. pinballs), one or more linearelements (e.g., bumpers), and one or more decoy linear elements (e.g.,decoy bumpers); requiring the participant to respond to the presentedsequence, including indicating a travel path for the one or morecircular elements from a start point to an end point which travel pathinvolves the circular elements engaging the linear elements and notengaging the decoy linear elements; determining whether the participantresponded correctly; modifying at least one of a duration of thevisually presenting or complexity of the visually presenting (number ofgraphical elements) based on the determining; and repeating the visuallypresenting, the requiring, the determining and the modifying one or moretimes in an iterative manner to improve the cognition of theparticipant. Methods can also include displaying one or more of thegraphical elements for a specified duration, then ceasing to display oneor more of the graphical elements. Additionally, the board configurationcan be in the form of a grid, and the size of the grid can be increasedor decreased to provide an additional mechanism for increasing ordecreasing the complexity of the program.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a computer-readable memorymedium that stores program instructions for enhancing cognition in aparticipant, utilizing a computing device to present visual stimuli fortraining, and to record responses from the participant, wherein theprogram instructions are executable by a processor. The readable memoryis configurable to provide multiple graphical elements in a boardconfiguration, wherein the multiple graphical elements are available forvisual presentation to the participant; visually present a temporalsequence of a plurality of the graphical elements, including displayingeach graphical element at a respective location in a visual field,wherein the plurality of graphical elements includes two or more of eachof one or more circular elements (e.g. pinballs), one or more linearelements (e.g., bumpers), and one or more decoy linear elements (e.g.,decoy bumpers); require the participant to respond to the presentedsequence, including indicating a travel path for the one or morecircular elements from a start point to an end point which travel pathinvolves the circular elements engaging the linear elements and notengaging the decoy linear elements; determine whether the participantresponded correctly; modify at least one of a duration of the visuallypresenting or complexity of the visually presenting (number of graphicalelements) based on the determining; and repeat the visually presenting,the requiring, the determining and the modifying one or more times in aniterative manner to improve the cognition of the participant. Graphicalelements can also be displayed for a specified duration, then ceasing todisplay one or more of the graphical elements. Additionally, the boardconfiguration can be in the form of a grid, and the size of the grid canbe increased or decreased to provide an additional mechanism forincreasing or decreasing the complexity of the program.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each individual publication, patent, or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of the disclosure are set forth with particularity inthe appended claims. A better understanding of the features andadvantages of the present disclosure will be obtained by reference tothe following detailed description that sets forth illustrativeembodiments, in which the principles of the disclosure are utilized, andthe accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing a representative example of a logicdevice through which use of physically intuitive complex working memorytasks improve cognition in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment throughwhich use of physically intuitive complex working memory tasks improvecognition in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 1C is an illustrative architectural diagram showing some structurethat can be employed by devices through which use of physicallyintuitive complex working memory tasks improve cognition in accordancewith the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the cooperation of exemplarycomponents of a system suitable for use in a system in which use ofphysically intuitive complex working memory tasks improve cognition inaccordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 3A depicts a screen shot of a portion of a tutorial explaining amain task for a game in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 3B depicts a screen shot of a portion of a tutorial prompting auser to select an endpoint and providing a description of the way inwhich a pinball bounces off a bumper in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts a screen shot indicating completion of the tutorial,including a prompt to begin a game in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts a screen shot alerting a user that the level of game playhas been decreased in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts a screen shot alerting the user that an increase indifficulty will be added to the game in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts a screen shot alerting the user that bumpers will behidden in order to exercise the user's working memory in accordance withthe disclosure;

FIG. 8 depicts a screen shot illustrating a decoy bumper placed in theboard configuration which does not interfere with the route of thepinball in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 9 depicts a screen shot illustrating an example of a complex,dynamic board configuration containing an exemplar 5×5 grid and 3 decoybumpers in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 10 depicts a screen shot with a final result containing a userscore and highest level achieved in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 11 depicts a flow chart of steps performed by a computing device inaccordance with the disclosure; and

FIG. 12 depicts another flow chart of steps performed by a computingdevice in accordance with the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION I. Computing Systems

The systems and methods described herein rely on a variety of computersystems, networks and/or digital devices, including mobile devices, foroperation. In order to fully appreciate how the system operates anunderstanding of suitable computing systems is useful. The systems andmethods disclosed herein are enabled as a result of application via asuitable computing system.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing a representative example logic devicethrough which a browser can be accessed to implement the presentinvention. A computer system (or digital device) 100, which may beunderstood as a logic apparatus capable of reading instructions frommedia 114 and/or network port 106, is connectable to a server 110, andhas a fixed media 116. The computer system 100 can also be connected tothe Internet or an intranet. The system includes central processing unit(CPU) 102, disk drives 104, optional input devices, illustrated askeyboard 118 and/or mouse 120 and optional monitor 108. Datacommunication can be achieved through, for example, communication medium109 to a server 110 at a local or a remote location. The communicationmedium 109 can include any suitable means of transmitting and/orreceiving data. For example, the communication medium can be a networkconnection, a wireless connection or an internet connection. It isenvisioned that data relating to the present disclosure can betransmitted over such networks or connections. The computer system canbe capable of, or in at least some situations capable of, communicatingwith a participant and/or a device used by a participant. The computersystem is capable of communicating with other computers over theInternet, or with computers via a server.

FIG. 1B depicts another exemplary computing system 100. The computingsystem 100 is capable of, or in at least some situations adaptable for,executing a variety of computing applications 138, including computingapplications, a computing applet, a computing program, or otherinstructions for operating on computing system 100 to perform at leastone function, operation, and/or procedure. Computing system 100 iscontrollable by computer readable storage media for tangibly storingcomputer readable instructions, which may be in the form of software.The computer readable storage media capable of, or in at least somesituations adaptable to, tangibly store computer readable instructionscan contain instructions for computing system 100 for storing andaccessing the computer readable storage media to read the instructionsstored thereon themselves. Such software may be executed within CPU 102to cause the computing system 100 to perform desired functions. In manyknown computer servers, workstations and personal computers CPU 102 isimplemented by micro-electronic chips CPUs called microprocessors.Optionally, a co-processor, distinct from the main CPU 102, can beprovided that performs additional functions or assists the CPU 102. TheCPU 102 may be connected to co-processor through an interconnect. Onecommon type of coprocessor is the floating-point coprocessor, alsocalled a numeric or math coprocessor, which is designed to performnumeric calculations faster and better than the general-purpose CPU 102.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a computer readablemedium stores computer data, which data can include computer programcode that is executable by a computer, in machine readable form. By wayof example, and not limitation, a computer readable medium may comprisecomputer readable storage media, for tangible or fixed storage of data,or communication media for transient interpretation of code-containingsignals. Computer readable storage media, as used herein, refers tophysical or tangible storage (as opposed to signals) and includeswithout limitation volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable storage media implemented in any method or technology forthe tangible storage of information such as computer-readableinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computerreadable storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM,DVD, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any otherphysical or material medium which can be used to tangibly store thedesired information or data or instructions and which can be accessed bya computer or processor.

In operation, the CPU 102 fetches, decodes, and executes instructions,and transfers information to and from other resources via the computer'smain data-transfer path, system bus 140. Such a system bus connects thecomponents in the computing system 100 and defines the medium for dataexchange. Memory devices coupled to the system bus 140 include randomaccess memory (RAM) 124 and read only memory (ROM) 126. Such memoriesinclude circuitry that allows information to be stored and retrieved.The ROMs 126 generally contain stored data that cannot be modified. Datastored in the RAM 124 can be read or changed by CPU 102 or otherhardware devices. Access to the RAM 124 and/or ROM 126 may be controlledby memory controller 122. The memory controller 122 may provide anaddress translation function that translates virtual addresses intophysical addresses as instructions are executed.

In addition, the computing system 100 can contain peripherals controller128 responsible for communicating instructions from the CPU 102 toperipherals, such as, printer 142, keyboard 118, mouse 120, and datastorage drive 143. Display 108, which is controlled by a displaycontroller 163, is used to display visual output generated by thecomputing system 100. Such visual output may include text, graphics,animated graphics, and video. The display controller 134 includeselectronic components required to generate a video signal that is sentto display 108. Further, the computing system 100 can contain networkadaptor 136 which may be used to connect the computing system 100 to anexternal communications network 132.

II. Networks and Internet Protocol

As is well understood by those skilled in the art, the Internet is aworldwide network of computer networks. Today, the Internet is a publicand self-sustaining network that is available to many millions of users.The Internet uses a set of communication protocols called TCP/IP (i.e.,Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) to connect hosts. TheInternet has a communications infrastructure known as the Internetbackbone. Access to the Internet backbone is largely controlled byInternet Service Providers (ISPs) that resell access to corporations andindividuals.

The Internet Protocol (IP) enables data to be sent from one device(e.g., a phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a computer, etc.) toanother device on a network. There are a variety of versions of IPtoday, including, e.g., IPv4, IPv6, etc. Other IPs are no doubtavailable and will continue to become available in the future, any ofwhich can be used without departing from the scope of the invention.Each host device on the network has at least one IP address that is itsown unique identifier and acts as a connectionless protocol. Theconnection between end points during a communication is not continuous.When a user sends or receives data or messages, the data or messages aredivided into components known as packets. Every packet is treated as anindependent unit of data and routed to its final destination—but notnecessarily via the same path.

III. Wireless Networks

Wireless networks can incorporate a variety of types of mobile devices,such as, e.g., cellular and wireless telephones, PCs (personalcomputers), laptop computers, wearable computers, cordless phones,pagers, headsets, printers, PDAs, etc. For example, mobile devices mayinclude digital systems to secure fast wireless transmissions of voiceand/or data. Typical mobile devices include some or all of the followingcomponents: a transceiver (for example a transmitter and a receiver,including a single chip transceiver with an integrated transmitter,receiver and, if desired, other functions); an antenna; a processor;display; one or more audio transducers (for example, a speaker or amicrophone as in devices for audio communications); electromagnetic datastorage (such as ROM, RAM, digital data storage, etc., such as indevices where data processing is provided); memory; flash memory; and/ora full chip set or integrated circuit; interfaces (such as universalserial bus (USB), coder-decoder (CODEC), universal asynchronousreceiver-transmitter (UART), phase-change memory (PCM), etc.). Othercomponents can be provided without departing from the scope of theinvention.

Wireless LANs (WLANs) in which a mobile user can connect to a local areanetwork (LAN) through a wireless connection may be employed for wirelesscommunications. Wireless communications can include communications thatpropagate via electromagnetic waves, such as light, infrared, radio, andmicrowave. There are a variety of WLAN standards that currently exist,such as Bluetooth®, IEEE 802.11, and the obsolete HomeRF.

By way of example, Bluetooth products may be used to provide linksbetween mobile computers, mobile phones, portable handheld devices,personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other mobile devices andconnectivity to the Internet. Bluetooth is a computing andtelecommunications industry specification that details how mobiledevices can easily interconnect with each other and with non-mobiledevices using a short-range wireless connection. Bluetooth creates adigital wireless protocol to address end-user problems arising from theproliferation of various mobile devices that need to keep datasynchronized and consistent from one device to another, thereby allowingequipment from different vendors to work seamlessly together.

An IEEE standard, IEEE 802.11, specifies technologies for wireless LANsand devices. Using 802.11, wireless networking may be accomplished witheach single base station supporting several devices. In some examples,devices may come pre-equipped with wireless hardware or a user mayinstall a separate piece of hardware, such as a card, that may includean antenna. By way of example, devices used in 802.11 typically includethree notable elements, whether or not the device is an access point(AP), a mobile station (STA), a bridge, a personal computing memory cardInternational Association (PCMCIA) card (or PC card) or another device:a radio transceiver; an antenna; and a MAC (Media Access Control) layerthat controls packet flow between points in a network.

In addition, Multiple Interface Devices (MIDs) may be utilized in somewireless networks. MIDs may contain two independent network interfaces,such as a Bluetooth interface and an 802.11 interface, thus allowing theMID to participate on two separate networks as well as to interface withBluetooth devices. The MID may have an IP address and a common IP(network) name associated with the IP address.

Wireless network devices may include, but are not limited to Bluetoothdevices, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access),Multiple Interface Devices (MIDs), 802.11x devices (IEEE 802.11 devicesincluding, 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g devices), HomeRF (Home RadioFrequency) devices, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) devices, GPRS (GeneralPacket Radio Service) devices, 3 G cellular devices, 2.5 G cellulardevices, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) devices, EDGE(Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution) devices, TDMA type (Time DivisionMultiple Access) devices, or CDMA type (Code Division Multiple Access)devices, including CDMA2000. Each network device may contain addressesof varying types including but not limited to an IP address, a BluetoothDevice Address, a Bluetooth Common Name, a Bluetooth IP address, aBluetooth IP Common Name, an 802.11 IP Address, an 802.11 IP commonName, or an IEEE MAC address.

Wireless networks can also involve methods and protocols found in,Mobile IP (Internet Protocol) systems, in PCS systems, and in othermobile network systems. With respect to Mobile IP, this involves astandard communications protocol created by the Internet EngineeringTask Force (IETF). With Mobile IP, mobile device users can move acrossnetworks while maintaining their IP Address assigned once. See Requestfor Comments (RFC) 3344. NB: RFCs are formal documents of the InternetEngineering Task Force (IETF). Mobile IP enhances Internet Protocol (IP)and adds a mechanism to forward Internet traffic to mobile devices whenconnecting outside their home network. Mobile IP assigns each mobilenode a home address on its home network and a care-of-address (CoA) thatidentifies the current location of the device within a network and itssubnets. When a device is moved to a different network, it receives anew care-of address. A mobility agent on the home network can associateeach home address with its care-of address. The mobile node can send thehome agent a binding update each time it changes its care-of addressusing Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP).

FIG. 1C depicts components that can be employed in system configurationsenabling the systems and technical effect of this disclosure, includingwireless access points to which client devices communicate. In thisregard, FIG. 1C shows a wireless network 150 connected to a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) 152. The WLAN 152 includes an access point(AP) 154 and a number of user stations 156, 156′. For example, thenetwork 150 can include the Internet or a corporate data processingnetwork. The access point 154 can be a wireless router, and the userstations 156, 156′ can be portable computers, personal desk-topcomputers, PDAs, portable voice-over-IP telephones and/or other devices.The access point 154 has a network interface 158 linked to the network150, and a wireless transceiver in communication with the user stations156, 156′. For example, the wireless transceiver 160 can include anantenna 162 for radio or microwave frequency communication with the userstations 156, 156′. The access point 154 also has a processor 164, aprogram memory 166, and a random access memory 168. The user station 156has a wireless transceiver 170 including an antenna 172 forcommunication with the access point station 154. In a similar fashion,the user station 156′ has a wireless transceiver 170′ and an antenna 172for communication to the access point 154. By way of example, in someembodiments an authenticator could be employed within such an accesspoint (AP) and/or a supplicant or peer could be employed within a mobilenode or user station. Desktop 108 and key board 118 or input devices canalso be provided with the user status.

IV. Access Via Browser

In at least some configurations, a user executes a browser to viewdigital content items and can connect to the front end server via anetwork, which is typically the Internet, but can also be any network,including but not limited to any combination of a LAN, a MAN, a WAN, amobile, wired or wireless network, a private network, or a virtualprivate network. As will be understood a very large numbers (e.g.,millions) of users are supported and can be in communication with thewebsite at any time. The user may include a variety of differentcomputing devices. Examples of user devices include, but are not limitedto, personal computers, digital assistants, personal digital assistants,cellular phones, mobile phones, smart phones or laptop computers.

The browser can include any application that allows users to access webpages on the World Wide Web. Suitable applications include, but are notlimited to, Microsoft Internet Explorer®, Netscape Navigator®, Mozilla®Firefox, Apple® Safari or any application capable of or adaptable toallowing access to web pages on the World Wide Web. The browser can alsoinclude a video player (e.g., Flash™ from Adobe Systems, Inc.), or anyother player adapted for the video file formats used in the videohosting website. Alternatively, videos can be accessed by a standaloneprogram separate from the browser. A user can access a video from thewebsite by, for example, browsing a catalog of digital content,conducting searches on keywords, reviewing aggregate lists from otherusers or the system administrator (e.g., collections of videos formingchannels), or viewing digital content associated with particular usergroups (e.g., communities).

V. Computer Network Environment

Computing system 100, described above, can be deployed as part of acomputer network used to achieve the desired technical effect andtransformation. In general, the above description for computingenvironments applies to both server computers and client computersdeployed in a network environment. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplaryillustrative networked computing environment 200, with a server incommunication with client computers via a communications network 250. Asshown in FIG. 2, server 210 may be interconnected via a communicationsnetwork 250 (which may be either of, or a combination of a fixed-wire orwireless LAN, WAN, intranet, extranet, peer-to-peer network, virtualprivate network, the Internet, or other communications network) with anumber of client computing environments such as tablet personal computer202, smart phone 204, personal computer 202, and personal digitalassistant 208. In a network environment in which the communicationsnetwork 250 is the Internet, for example, server 210 can be dedicatedcomputing environment servers operable to process and communicate datato and from client computing environments via any of a number of knownprotocols, such as, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), file transferprotocol (FTP), simple object access protocol (SOAP), or wirelessapplication protocol (WAP). Other wireless protocols can be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure, including, for exampleWireless Markup Language (WML), DoCoMo i-mode (used, for example, inJapan) and XHTML Basic. Additionally, networked computing environment200 can utilize various data security protocols such as secured socketlayer (SSL) or pretty good privacy (PGP). Each client computingenvironment can be equipped with operating system 238 operable tosupport one or more computing applications, such as a web browser (notshown), or other graphical user interface (not shown), or a mobiledesktop environment (not shown) to gain access to server computingenvironment 200.

In operation, a user (not shown) may interact with a computingapplication running on a client computing environment to obtain desireddata and/or computing applications. The data and/or computingapplications may be stored on server computing environment 200 andcommunicated to cooperating users through client computing environmentsover exemplary communications network 250. The computing applications,described in more detail below, are used to achieve the desiredtechnical effect and transformation set forth. A participating user mayrequest access to specific data and applications housed in whole or inpart on server computing environment 200. These data may be communicatedbetween client computing environments and server computing environmentsfor processing and storage. Server computing environment 200 may hostcomputing applications, processes and applets for the generation,authentication, encryption, and communication data and applications andmay cooperate with other server computing environments (not shown),third party service providers (not shown), network attached storage(NAS) and storage area networks (SAN) to realize application/datatransactions.

VII. Software Programs Implementable in the Computing and NetworkEnvironments to Achieve a Desired Technical Effect or Transformation

FIG. 3A depicts a screen shot 300 of a board 302 and a portion of atutorial explaining a main task for a game. An instruction 310 isprovided on the screen, for example “Select the end point to launch theball.” A start point 312 appears in a first location on the board 302,and an end point 314 is in a second location different from the first onthe board 302. As depicted in this screen shot, for example, the startpoint 312 is on the left side of the screen and the end point 314 is onthe right side of the screen.

FIG. 3B depicts a screen shot 300 of a portion of a tutorial prompting auser to select an endpoint and providing a description of the way inwhich a pinball 316 bounces off a graphical element having at least onelinear face such as a bumper 318. Thus, for example, the start point 312is depicted on the left side of the board 302, with a bumper 318 on theright side of the board 302 directly across from the start point. Thebumper 318 is depicted as a linear segment having a length sufficient toengage a surface of the pinball 316 such that the pinball 316 willstrike the bumper and be deflected in a new direction. In thisdepiction, the bumper 318 is positioned horizontally across from thestart point 312 and is angled at 45° angle from the horizontal such thatwhen the pinball 316 hits the surface of the bumper 318 it travels in adirection perpendicular to it's first direction of travel (90° fromhorizontal).

FIG. 4 depicts a screen shot 400 indicating completion of the tutorial,including a prompt 410 to begin a game. FIG. 5 depicts a screen shot 500with an instruction 510 alerting a user that the level of game play hasbeen decreased. FIG. 6 depicts a screen shot 600 with an instruction 610alerting the user that an increase in difficulty will be added to thegame. FIG. 7 depicts a screen shot 700 with an instruction 710 alertingthe user that bumpers will be hidden in order to exercise the user'sworking memory.

FIG. 8 depicts a screen shot 800 illustrating a bumper 818 and a decoybumper 818′ placed in the board 802 configuration which does notinterfere with the route 804 of the pinball 816.

FIG. 9 depicts a screen shot illustrating an example of a complex,dynamic board 902 configuration containing an exemplar 5×5 grid and 3decoy bumpers.

FIG. 10 depicts a screen shot 1000 with a final result containing a userscore and highest level achieved.

The object of this exercise is for a user to successfully get thepinball from the starting point to the ending point by bouncing thepinball off the bumpers positioned on the board. Initially, all bumpersare presented on the board such that the bumpers are visible to the userfor a brief period of time. Then, in most levels, the bumpers disappearand are no longer visible by the user. After the bumpers disappear, theuser is shown the ball's starting point and must determine, based on thepositioning of the now-invisible bumpers, where the ball will end up.This requires the user to recall the position that the bumpers hadoccupied. The ball always travels outward perpendicularly from the wallwhere it is launched until it hits a bumper. The ball ricochets off thebumpers according to the rule, “the angle of incidence equals the angleof deflection.” In a current implementation, all bumpers are angled at45 degrees, but, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art,this could be altered in other implementations. For example, all bumperscould be positioned at an angle other than 45 degrees, or bumpers couldbe positioned at a plurality of angles.

If the correct end point is selected, the user is rewarded for a correcttrial. If the incorrect point is chosen, the user receives the incorrecttrial feedback, and is shown the correct path. This exercise requiresthe user to recall the location and orientation of all the bumpers,while calculating a route through grid. This exercises working memorysystems in a domain general way, in a form that is physically intuitiveand engaging.

The user is introduced to the training exercise via a short interactivetutorial describing the gameplay elements, (FIGS. 3A-B). The tutorialprompts the user to complete a series of simple game configurations withguided messages and prompts. Gameplay features such as the angle atwhich the pinball bounces off of each bumper are explained withanimations and helpful text, (FIG. 3B). Once the tutorial is completed,the user is prompted to play the game at the first level, (FIG. 4).

The main gameplay flow is based on varying levels of difficulty. As theuser progresses up through each level, the difficulty is increased. Iftwo incorrect answers are selected in a row, the user is moved down alevel and the difficulty is decreased, (FIG. 5). Once two correctanswers are selected in a row, the user is moved up a level and thedifficulty is increased until a total of 15 trials are completed—this isthe current best mode, but other game lengths (i.e., number of trials)and methods of moving up and down in difficulty (e.g., one correct orincorrect to change level, or a Bayesian adaptive algorithm predictingthe optimal level) could be used as well.

On subsequent plays of the game, the user starts just below theirprevious level. This allows the user to regain familiarity with thetraining task and helps build confidence. In some configurations, theuser starts at a subsequent start level that can be based on, forexample, the previous level as well as the length of time that haspassed since a user has last played.

Difficulty is controllable by adjusting one or more of the followingvariables:

-   -   Board size        -   An initial level starts at a 3×3 grid and grows to, for            example, 6×6    -   Number of bumpers on the board, (FIG. 6)    -   Visibility of bumpers or decoy bumpers        -   At later levels, bumpers and/or decoy bumpers are shown and            then hidden, (FIG. 7)        -   The amount of time the bumpers or decoy bumpers are visible        -   The number of bumpers and/or decoy bumpers that are visible            (e.g., a subset of bumpers and/or decoy bumpers can be made            invisible)    -   Number of decoy bumpers        -   In order to mitigate memorization of board configurations,            decoy bumpers are added which are never activated during the            trial, (FIG. 8)    -   Size (e.g., length) of bumpers and/or decoy bumpers    -   Shape of bumpers and/or decoy bumpers    -   Angle of bumpers and/or decoy bumpers        -   All bumpers and/or decoy bumpers angled at a single angle            (e.g., 45 degrees)        -   Bumpers and/or decoy bumpers angled as a plurality of angles

The core gameplay mechanic is the selection of the final position forthe pinball based on a starting location and a series of bumpers thatmake up a board configuration. This configuration is determined by thecurrent level of difficulty and has been designed to provide a smoothtransition between levels.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, implementation canalso vary depending on the platform for delivery. For example, the gridconfiguration may be adapted to the screen size of the electronic deviceand the nature of the input mode. Thus, in one configuration a grid of3×3 which uses a mouse click as input could be the configuration in acomputer while a grid of 5×7 which relies on a touch screen interfacefor input might be used for a mobile device or tablet.

The process of generating a dynamic board configuration begins with theselection of the target board size and the number of bumpers and decoysfrom within a range based on the difficulty of the current level. In thecurrent best mode implementation, these ranges have been hardcoded intothe game based on user testing and are updated periodically from datagathered across a large user-base of active players (TABLE 1).

Once the board size, number of bumpers, and number of decoys have beendetermined, bumpers are randomly placed on the board to generate a routeto an end location. These bumpers are then oriented in such a way as tocreate a valid surface on which the pinball will bounce and continuealong the generated path. Once the route is determined, decoy bumpersare placed on grid elements that do not lie along the route. If therandomly chosen route does not allow for the placement of the selectednumber of decoy bumpers, a new route is generated until a valid route isfound. In this way a complete board configuration is generated. Sinceroutes are dynamically determined, there are a vast number of possibleroutes and therefore unique trials (FIG. 9).

After a predetermined number of trials (e.g., fifteen trials), theuser's game is completed and they are shown a results screen on whichtheir score is displayed alongside the highest level of difficultyachieved (FIG. 10).

TABLE 1 Level Board Size Number of Bumpers Decoy Range 1 3 × 3 1 0-0 2 3× 3 2 0-1 3 3 × 3 1 0-0 4 3 × 3 2 0-1 5 4 × 4 3 1-2 6 4 × 4 4 1-3 7 5 ×5 4 1-2 8 5 × 5 5 2-3 9 5 × 5 6 3-4 10 5 × 5 7 4-5 11 5 × 5 7 3-4 12 5 ×5 8 3-6 13 6 × 6 8 2-5 14 6 × 6 9 3-5 15 6 × 6 9 2-5 16 6 × 6 10 3-6 176 × 6 11 4-7 18 6 × 6 12 4-8 19 6 × 6 13 5-8 20 6 × 6 14 5-9 21 6 × 6 156-9 22 6 × 6 16  6-10

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of steps performed bya computing device to enhance cognition of a participant. The computingdevice provides for display multiple graphical elements in a boardconfiguration (Step 1105). A temporal sequence of graphical elements isdisplayed (Step 1110), where the graphical elements include circularelements (e.g., pinballs), linear elements (e.g., bumpers), and/or decoylinear elements (e.g., decoy bumpers). The participant responds to thepresented sequence and the computing device receives the response (Step1115). The response includes an indication of a travel path for the oneor more circular elements from a start point to an end point whichtravel path involves the circular elements engaging the linear elementsand not engaging the decoy linear elements. The computing device thendetermines if the response is correct (Step 1120). If the response isincorrect, in one embodiment the complexity and/or the duration of thesequence is decreased (Step 1125). If the response is correct, in oneembodiment the complexity and/or the duration of the sequence isincreased (Step 1130). Steps 1110-1130 can then be repeated in aniterative manner to improve the cognition of the participant. In oneembodiment, the board is a grid. The size of the grid can be adjusted toadjust complexity.

FIG. 12 is another flowchart illustrating an embodiment of stepsperformed by a computing device to enhance cognition of a participant oruser of a client device. A computing device transmits, to the clientdevice for display for a predetermined amount of time, a grid withbumpers placed in different positions throughout the grid (Step 1205).The computing device determines if the predetermined amount of time haselapsed (Step 1210). If not, the grid with bumpers continues to bedisplayed (Step 1215). If so, the computing device causes the clientdevice to display the grid without the bumpers (Step 1220). Thecomputing device then receives, from the user, a route that a circularelement will travel after being released from a designated startingposition (Step 1225). The computing device determines if the receivedroute is correct (Step 1230). In one embodiment, the complexity of thegrid and/or the duration of the display of the grid with bumpers isadjusted based on if the route is correct (Steps 1235 or 1240). In oneembodiment, the complexity is adjusted by adjusting the size of thegrid.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatsuch embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerousvariations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilledin the art without departing from the invention. It should be understoodthat various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention describedherein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended thatthe following claims define the scope of the invention and that methodsand structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents becovered thereby.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for enhancing cognition of aparticipant, the method comprising: providing, via a computing device,multiple graphical elements in a board configuration, wherein themultiple graphical elements are available for visual presentation to theparticipant; visually presenting the multiple graphical elements,including displaying, via a user interface display device, eachgraphical element at a respective location in a visual field, whereinthe multiple graphical elements include two or more of each of one ormore geographic elements having a first geometry, one or more geographicelements having a second geometry different than the first geometry, andone or more decoy elements; requiring the participant to respond, viathe user interface display device, to the presented temporal sequence,including indicating a travel path for the one or more geographicelements having the first geometry from a start point to an end point,by selecting a correct end point on the board configuration, whichtravel path involves the geographic elements having the first geometryengaging the geographic elements having the second geometry and notengaging the decoy elements; and determining whether the participantresponded correctly by selecting the correct end point.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more geometric elements having the firstgeometry comprises one or more pinballs.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the one or more linear elements comprises one or more bumpers.4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more decoy elementscomprises one or more decoy bumpers.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe board configuration further comprises a grid.
 6. The method of claim5, further comprising adjusting a size of the grid to provide additionalmechanism for adjusting complexity.
 7. A method for enhancing cognitionof a user of a client device comprising: transmitting, via a computingdevice to the client device for display for a predetermined amount oftime, a grid with bumpers placed in different positions throughout thegrid; after the predetermined amount of time has elapsed, causing theclient device to display the grid without the bumpers; after the displayof the grid without the bumpers, receiving, by the computing device fromthe client device, a route that a circular element will travel in thegrid after being released from a designated starting position, throughthe selection by the user of a correct exit position on the grid; anddetermining, by the computing device, whether the user selected thecorrect exit position.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprisingadjusting a size of the grid to provide an additional mechanism foradjusting complexity.
 9. A computing device for enhancing cognition of aparticipant, the computing device comprising: a processor; a storagemedium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by theprocessor, the program logic, when executed by the processor, performinga method comprising: providing multiple graphical elements in a boardconfiguration, wherein the multiple graphical elements are available forvisual presentation to the participant; visually presenting on a userinterface display device a temporal sequence of a plurality of graphicalelements, including displaying each graphical element at a respectivelocation in a visual field, wherein the plurality of graphical elementsincludes two or more of each of one or more geometric elements having afirst geometry, one or more linear elements, and one or more decoyelements; requiring the participant to respond to the presented temporalsequence, including indicating a travel path for the one or moregeometric elements having the first geometry from a start point to anend point, by selecting the correct end point on the boardconfiguration, which travel path involves the geometric elements havingthe first geometry engaging the linear elements and not engaging thedecoy elements; determining whether the participant responded correctly,by selecting the correct end point; modifying at least one of a durationof the visually presenting or complexity of the visually presentingbased on the determining; and repeating the visually presenting, therequiring, the determining, and the modifying one or more times in aniterative manner to improve the cognition of the participant.
 10. Thecomputing device of claim 9, wherein the one or more geometric elementshaving the first geometry comprises one or more pinballs.
 11. Thecomputing device of claim 9, wherein the one or more geometric elementshaving the second geometry comprises one or more bumpers.
 12. Thecomputing device of claim 9, wherein the one or more decoy elementscomprises one or more decoy bumpers.
 13. The computing device of claim9, wherein the board configuration further comprises a grid.
 14. Thecomputing device of claim 13, the method further comprising adjusting asize of the grid to provide an additional mechanism for adjustingcomplexity.
 15. A non-transitory computer readable storage mediumtangibly storing computer program instructions that, when-executed by acomputing device, cause the computing device to perform a methodcomprising: providing multiple graphical elements in a boardconfiguration, wherein the multiple graphical elements are available forvisual presentation to the participant; visually presenting a temporalsequence of a plurality of graphical elements, including displaying eachgraphical element at a respective location in a visual field, whereinthe plurality of graphical elements includes two or more of each of oneor more geometric elements having a first geometry, one or moregeometric elements having a second geometry different than the firstgeometry, and one or more decoy elements; requiring the participant torespond, via a user interface, to the presented temporal sequence,including indicating a travel path for the one or more geometricelements having the first geometry from a start point to an end point,by selecting a correct end point, which travel path involves thegeometric elements having the first geometry engaging the geometricelements having the second geometry and not engaging the decoy elements;determining whether the participant responded correctly by selecting thecorrect end point; modifying at least one of a duration of the visuallypresenting or complexity of the visually presenting based on thedetermining; and repeating the visually presenting, the requiring, thedetermining, and the modifying one or more times in an iterative mannerto improve the cognition of the participant.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or moregeometric elements having the first geometry comprises one or morepinballs.
 16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the one or more geometric elements having the secondgeometry comprises one or more bumpers.
 17. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more decoyelements comprises one or more decoy bumpers.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the boardconfiguration further comprises a grid.
 19. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium of claim 19, the method further comprisingadjusting a size of the grid to provide additional mechanism foradjusting complexity.